Monday, March 21, 2011

New U.S. jazz stamp due out March 26

It's cool. It's colorful. It has a retro feel and a "Forever" designation, meaning it will still be usable if (make that when) postage increases. We'll be at the PO on Saturday, buying a bunch.

Artist Paul Rogers tells the story of how he came to design a jazz stamp for the U.S. Postal Service and who his influences were. "The only requirements [U.S. Postal Service art director] Howard [Paine] gave me was that the letters J-A-Z-Z- appear in the design and that no recognizable performer be depicted," Rogers writes. He shares some early sketches and the three designs he submitted to the USPS.